


A Month in Britain

by Kitsune_Moonstar



Series: A Year In America [2]
Category: Hellsing, X-Men Evolution
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-18
Updated: 2013-03-17
Packaged: 2017-12-05 16:23:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/725345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitsune_Moonstar/pseuds/Kitsune_Moonstar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A sequel to A Year In America. A routine mission turns out to be something of a headache for Integra.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Merry Old England

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Hellsing, X-men, or their characters. This is a sequel to A Year in American.

**Merry Old England**

Rogue had her doubts about this mission. Really, they shouldn't be doing this at all. A group of the senior X-Men had been in England with Professor Xavier for a presentation he was giving. An incident occurred that involved mutants, and off they had run without stopping to think about things. Rogue remembered even if the others didn't that England had their own agencies for dealing with problems that weren't strictly mundane.

Still, she was cautiously optimistic so far. They weren't exactly gaining a lot of ground against this mind controlled horde, but at least no one had showed up claiming they were overstepping their bounds or trying to attack them. But they weren't really winning the fight either. Rogue wasn't really sure that they were dealing with a mutant even if the professor had a mutant signature to go on. These things seemed more like what Integra Hellsing had described as "ghouls" during the year she had lived at the Xavier Institute.

A petite blond in a red uniform shouldered past her. "Excuse me, miss."

The next thing Rogue knew the woman had whipped out a gigantic gun and was aiming it at the crowd. Without even a moment's hesitation, she fired. A large gaping hole appeared in the midst of the horde. Rogue was now aware of what looked like military troops fanning out and engaging the enemy. A man with a hat and a rather long braid looked over at the blond with a grin.

"Not bad, mignonette. Is your master going to make an appearance?"

The blond shook her head and fired again. "Not for piffle like this. Especially since Sir Integra isn't out in the field. Although…"

Her voice trailed off as she cast a glance at Rogue and the rest of the X-Men. The others had pulled back when these people had showed up. Rogue watched as the man with the hat and the woman gave orders and fought. Within ten minutes, things were dealt with. Rogue had a sinking feeling that the X-Men might be in over their heads. That feeling was confirmed when Scott confronted the woman.

"Just who are you people? And what are you doing firing artillery like that in a city and killing innocent people? We might have been able to save some of them or help them."

The blond raised an eyebrow. "Commander Seras Victoria of Hellsing. Who are you? I am doing my duty here. It's my job to deal with issues like this."

Scott looked taken aback. "Hellsing? Does that have anything to do with Integra Hellsing?"

"You know Sir Hellsing?"

"She's a mutant like us." Scott shrugged. "Even if she won't admit it."

Commander Victoria did not look impressed. She sighed. "I suppose I'll have to take you lot back to headquarters then."

Before she could do anything though, a car pulled up. Commander Victoria swore.

"Damn. Well, there goes a routine operation."

Rogue recognized the woman who stepped out of the car. It had been years since she had seen Integra Hellsing, but the woman had not changed too much. She looked older and had grown some, but she still sported long blond hair and ice blue eyes hidden behind glasses. She was dressed in a dark grey suit as she stalked over to them.

"Sir Hellsing, I didn't expect to see you here. It is a routine mission after all."

Integra made a negligent wave. "I caught the comment about weirdos in spandex and thought I might know the culprits."

"Is Master with you?"

Integra gave the woman a look. Commander Victoria held her hands up.

"I'll go collect Captain Bernadette and the rest of the Wild Geese."

"Thank you, police girl." It was a pointed dismissal. Integra turned to the X-Men. "I don't suppose you have a reason for infringing on my jurisdiction?"

Scott bristled. "There was a mutant involved."

Integra gave a weary sigh and muttered something Rogue couldn't quite catch her breath. It probably wasn't complimentary. However, before things could get even more awkward, a figure in red materialized behind Integra. She didn't seem to acknowledge the person but sighed again.

"Alucard, I am not in the mood. I'm not going to shatter simply because I'm going about my normal duties, nor am I in any danger presently."

The vampire wrapped a possessive arm around Integra's waist. "You don't need to be here at all. The police girl could have handled things just fine."

"I really don't need to deal with an international incident, and we both know that they could cause one." Integra did not try to resist the embrace. "If you're so keen on getting me out of here, you might want to save your arguments for when we get home."

Rogue just shook her head. Something had changed between those two other the years, but they still argued like they had when Integra had been in America. Still, the vampire was old enough to know better about arguing with women about things like this. Integra let out a third sigh and addressed Scott once again.

"Commander Victoria will see to your transportation. We address this incident back at Hellsing's headquarters." Her tone brooked no arguments.

Rogue let out sigh of her own. So much for a simple trip to England.

* * *

Seras would admit to being slightly puzzled. She had seen a number of strange things since joining Hellsing, and truthfully, this wasn't that odd. The timing was rather inconvenient, but she really couldn't see the problems these people posed. Of course, she wasn't really clear on who these people where. But Sir Integra seemed to know them. Still, the timing was rather inconvenient. Sir Integra had not been in the best of moods lately. Her master was the cause of that. Ever since they had found out that Sir Integra was pregnant, her master had been rather overprotective of his master. Seras didn't know the details of exactly how her master had managed it, but not only had her master gotten Sir Integra pregnant, he was also driving her up the wall with his fussing. Seras did her best to be sympathetic and stay out of the way.

Shaking her head, the vampire approached the man Sir Integra had addressed before.

"If you'd follow me, we're about ready to leave."

Thankfully, it didn't take long to get everyone herded into the vehicles. Seras found herself sitting beside on of the strangers on the ride back (Pip wasn't letting her drive, claiming something about wanting to get back will all limbs intact.) The woman didn't much older than she was, but she did have two white streaks in her auburn hair. She was speaking quietly in French to the man beside her. The woman turned to her suddenly.

"I'm Rogue." Her voice carried a soft accent.

"Seras. How do you all know Sir Hellsing?"

Rogue shrugged. "She went to school with us for a year in the States. It was…educational, I think for all involved."

Seras bit her lip. "How much do you all know about Hellsing?"

"We know about vampires and about Alucard. I'm not sure how much the others actually remember of what Integra told us." Rogue offered her a half smile. "As evidenced by the charge into a situation we knew nothing about, there are times when we're not exactly the most sensible bunch. Have you been with Hellsing long?"

She shook her head. "Only about five year now. It took me some time to adjust, but I've come to really like it. It's certainly better than the alternative."

Seras didn't mention what that alternative was. She had the feeling that none of these people had realized that she herself was a vampire yet. It wouldn't hurt to keep them in the dark, and it wouldn't help her any if they freaked out because of it. Thankfully, it would be a fairly short drive back to the Hellsing mansion. Then Sir Integra could deal with these people, and the whole mess would be out of her hands.


	2. Headaches Abound

**Headaches Abound**

Integra was trying to remember why she had agreed to let her vampire get her pregnant. It had seemed like a good idea at the time given the pressure she had been under to produce an heir, and then documents had been passed on to her that allowed her to understand that her vampire could impregnate her. Now, however, it wasn't as appealing. That was in part due to the morning sickness, the overprotectiveness of just about her entire staff including said vampire, and the mundane headaches of running Hellsing. And now the X-Men just had to throw themselves into the mix.

It did not help her mood any. Both she and Alucard had actually suspected that one of the vampires they were currently hunting was a mutant. There were a number of things that had pointed to that. However, having the X-Men barge in on things was not planned for nor helpful. Integra had a sinking feeling that they weren't going to just go away either. She took a deep breath trying to sort out her temper before going in to deal with them. Seras had reported in about five minutes ago and had deposited the group in the same room where she had been introduced to the Wild Geese. She had also let Integra know that the X-Men had no clue that she herself was a vampire.

It had been seven years since she last dealt with the X-Men. At the time Integra had been a teenager and out of her element. However, that was not the case now, and she wasn't in the mood to deal with any idiocy. What she wanted was for the X-Men to agree to go away and let her people do their jobs. Integra doubted that was going to happen, but it was what she wanted. Most likely she was going to have to compromise. That probably meant that the X-Men would probably be staying with her for awhile. Another headache that she really didn't want to think about right now.

She reached for the cup of tea on her desk, trying to calm herself before dealing with this whole mess. Integra felt a prickling along her spine, and she didn't need to look up to know that Alucard had entered the room. She was half tempted to snarl at him, but knowing her vampire as she did, he would use it as an excuse to fuss over her. She was not in the mood for that at all.

"Are you simply going to let them stew, Master?"

"I was trying to come up with a way to simply send them on their way, and no," Integra glared at him, "don't even think about offering to slaughter them for me. That would create more paperwork than I'm willing to deal with right now."

"More stress is not good for you." He frowned at her. "You don't need more idiots upsetting you."

"I am not an invalid," she spat.

His arms came around her, and his voice was dark. "But you are mine, and I will not risk your health."

"This is hardly the middle ages, Alucard. I'm not going to die from childbirth." Integra sighed. "Nor am I my mother. Childbirth is not going to drain me of my health. The only thing that is going to happen is me using you for target practice if you keep this up."

Alucard didn't reply to that but rest his cheek on her hair. This rather affection side of him still took some getting used to. Integra was more used his taunts and innuendo. But sometimes she would admit it was nice to just be held. Still, this wasn't going to get the people waiting for her dealt with. With a sigh, Integra extracted herself from Alucard's embrace and headed for the door. Might as well get this over with.

Integra strode into the room where the X-Men were waiting without bothering to be announced. Scott had clearly been pacing, and he immediately opened his mouth. Integra cut him off.

"I would like very much to know what on earth you all were thinking to start a fight in a foreign country where you have no jurisdiction. However, somehow I don't think you're answer is going to please me." She frowned. "Would I be right in guessing that you aren't going to be willing to just leave and let my people do their work?"

The X-Men's leader blinked then blurted out. "God, you haven't changed a bit."

Integra bit back a snort. She had changed quite a bit from the teenager she had been when she first met the X-Men. Of course, given that they had never really known her, she couldn't really expect them to notice the changes in her.

"I don't believe that is actually relevant to the discussion at hand."

Scott shook his head. "We're not leaving a fellow mutant to deal with you by themselves."

"That fellow mutant is most certainly dead. The only question now is: are they a ghoul or a true vampire. Either way their fate will be the same."

Scott frowned. "How do you know? The person could just be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Seras sniffed at that. She had been standing quietly by the door. "Please. If anyone knows the undead, we do."

Integra smirked. The police girl had come a long way from the timid little thing she had been.

"And what would you know about mutants?" Jean snapped at her.

Seras smiled, showing her teeth. "Not a thing. But as I said, we know the undead."

"I've been doing this job since I was thirteen." Integra intervened before things could get out of hand. "And if you remember, I have dealt with mutants who were undead before. Now, if we are done with the pointless questions, I'm willing to discuss what I will allow you to do."

Interestingly enough, Rogue took over the conversation at that point. As usual, she was much more reasonable to deal with. The woman had lost the Goth look over the years, but she still had more sense than most of her fellow X-Men. It didn't take long for the two of them to get an agreement hammered out. Unfortunately, it meant that the X-Men would be staying here until this particular problem was dealt with, but Rogue had agreed that Hellsing was in charge, and the X-Men would not interfere with their missions. The X-Men would be coming along on some of the missions, but Integra's people would be giving the orders.

It was a compromise that she could live with. Once that was taken care of, Integra left Walter to get their new houseguests settled. She trusted Walter to make arrangements that wouldn't interfere with the day to day running of Hellsing. With a sigh, Integra headed back to her own rooms. She was too tired to deal with anything more tonight.


	3. Adjusting Routines

**Adjusting Routines**

Integra kept her eyes closed and pretended she wasn't awake. She doubted it would fool the vampire in her room, but at least no one else was going to bother her until she actually announced she was awake. And Alucard tended to humor her anymore. Integra just wasn't ready to deal with the headaches of the day. Besides, she was always tired anymore; it was one of the side effects of the pregnancy. A weight settled on the bed next to her, and Alucard ran a hand down her spine.

"So how long are you going to hide beneath your covers, Master?"

"What do you want, Alucard?"

She heard rather than saw his smirk.

"Well, there are about a dozen mutants wandering around the mansion, and you've expressed distaste for me playing with most of your guests in the past."

"So you decided to come and bother me instead." She sighed and pulled down her covers. "Walter has my breakfast ready then?"

Walter, of course, would have it ready. Even if she was stuck with toast and tea any more. The morning sickness wouldn't let her eat much more than that the first few hours after she woke. It was not pleasant. At least she wasn't suffering alone. Integra had taken to dragging her vampire with her when she made her daily tribute to the porcelain alter. Alucard had gotten her pregnant, and he might as well suffer along with her. The least he could do was hold back her hair while she threw up.

She wasn't even halfway through breakfast when the first problem showed up. Integra sipped her tea and bit back a deep sigh. It looked like she was going to spend most of her time refereeing between the X-Men and her people. They hadn't even been on the grounds for twenty-four hours, and they were already causing problems. Setting down her tea, Integra rose to her feet. It was going to be a long day. Of this she had no doubt.

It was easy enough to find the source of the trouble. Integra just followed the sounds of arguing. What she found was the police girl in a full fledged yelling match with Jean. As far as Integra could tell, Jean and a few other X-Men had interrupted Seras at the firing range. Seras hadn't been expecting civilians and had nearly killed them. Seras had been understandably upset while Jean was blaming the whole incident on the draculina.

"Seras!" Integra snapped.

The police girl almost immediately came to attention. "Sir Integra?"

"I'll take care of this. Go ahead and get back to work."

The blond snapped a salute. "Yes, sir."

Integra turned to Jean. "It is considered polite to ask before using facilities in other people's homes. If you cannot manage a basic courtesy like that, I will assign one of the Wild Geese to escort you all at all times to avoid a repeat of this incident."

Jean bristled. "It's not our fault. She should have been paying attention."

"I'm sure that Commander Victoria was paying a great deal of attention to her training," Integra replied. "Of course, she normally has unarmed civilians interrupting her training sessions, so it's something she's always prepared for."

Jean rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't take that tone with me. You know perfectly well that she should have been aware of her surroundings. Furthermore, as your guests…"

Integra tuned the older woman out as her morning sickness decided to rear its head. She took a few deep breaths, hoping to fight the nausea down. When that didn't work, Integra mentally located the nearest bathroom.

"Are you even listening to me? Honestly, if this is your idea of hospitality--"

"Excuse me." Integra didn't even wait for Jean's reply.

Once she had emptied her stomach once again, Integra rinsed out her mouth with some cold water and reminded herself that she had agreed to have this child for a number of reasons, and pregnancy was not a valid excuse for random acts of violence. At least not in the eyes of her peers. She doubted Alucard would care. Upon leaving the bathroom, Integra found that Jean had been dispatched off to deal with feeding all of the X-Men. Instead, Rogue was waiting for her.

The Southern woman smiled. "I figured I'd get Jean out of your hair. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. This is a regular complaint these days."

Rogue looked confused. Integra sighed.

"It's a long story. I need to talk to anyway, but do you think it could wait until I've gotten things taken care of for today?"

"Of course, just send someone to find me when you're ready. I'm going to try and keep the others out of your hair. I know you weren't expecting to deal with this many guests."

"Thank you. I appreciate your cooperativeness with all this."

"Not a problem."

With that minor crisis taken care, Integra made her way to her office. She had some logistics to figure out. The X-Men were going to need a place to train that wouldn't interfere with her own troops. Furthermore, having a place of their own would hopefully keep incident like this morning from happening again. The last thing she needed was a friendly fire incident. She would also have to make sure to emphasis the fact that the basement was off limits. Alucard would hopefully keep from tormenting the X-Men too much, but if they invaded his territory, all bets were off. Thankfully, Seras was far less of a handful than her master.

Pursing her lips, Integra considered making Seras the liaison between her people and the X-Men. Seras had a knack for that sort of work, and she had far more patience than most of Integra's people. Furthermore, the X-Men's abilities wouldn't intimidate the police girl. It would also serve to have the X-Men get used to her. If they did end up going out in the field together, Integra didn't want the X-Men mistakenly trying to help Seras and ending up making it harder for her to fight.

Administrative and logistic affairs kept Integra busy for the next few hours. When lunch time rolled around, Integra surveyed her completed work with a sigh. She still had more to do, but she also knew that if she didn't take a break and eat something, Alucard would be more than happy to harass her until she had to take a break. Lunch was clearly in order. She could invite Rogue to join her and kill two birds with one stone. Rising from her desk, Integra rang for a servant to bring up a lunch tray for two and to find Rogue.

Rising from her desk, Integra stretched carefully. Her back had a tendency to give her problems anymore. Her doctor claimed it because her body was adjusting to carrying the extra weight of her baby. Integra still didn't like it. In fact, she didn't like any of the ways this pregnancy made her more vulnerable. She was not used to having to depend on others when it came to things like her physical safety. Since taking over as head of Hellsing, Integra had made a point of being able to do everything that she asked her people to do. She had her troops respect because they knew that she was perfectly able to pick up a weapon and fight beside them. Integra remembered how hard it had been to win that respect when she was younger, and she would prefer not to have to go through that again.

The food arrived with Rogue close behind. The two women settled themselves on the couch, helping themselves to the food. After a few moments of silence, Rogue spoke up.

"So how have you been over the past few years?"

Integra smiled wryly. "Things have been interesting. I'll give you the highlights."


	4. Long Stories

**Long Stories**

"…and so Seras ended up being a permanent fixture around here. Besides that, we've hired the Wild Geese, take care of a few vampiric attempts to take over, and I'm expecting a baby in May. Other than that, it has been pretty routine."

"Hold on a second, you're expecting a baby?" Rogue looked incredulous. "When did that happen? You're clearly not married. Not that that's a prerequisite for getting pregnant, but given your position I would think it's expected."

Integra sighed. She had been hoping to gloss over that. Not that she didn't trust Rogue. She had told Rogue about the pregnancy because she did. Someone in the X-Men needed to know what her limitations in the field were, and Integra trusted Rogue to be discreet about things. However, the story behind how she had gotten pregnant wasn't exactly well known nor was her choice of partner. The Council of Twelve had been mollified for now by the information that the child's father was nobility. Integra simply hadn't given them any of the specifics. She would have to eventually, but she was going to put that off as long as possible.

"I suppose I should begin with my former roommate from boarding school. She's the one who made this possible. She's a historian and archivist. Last year she came across a number of documents that she felt would be safer in Hellsing's hands." Integra sighed. "I have been under pressure to produce an heir for some time now. However, since the Council of Twelve expectations were for me to marry, hand over the reins of Hellsing to my husband, and produce several offspring I wasn't willing to do so. Among the documents that were turned over to me was one that basic provided instructions on how a vampire could get a mortal pregnant."

"Wait. You're telling me that you're pregnant by Alucard." Rogue's eyes were wide. "I wouldn't have seen that coming."

Integra didn't feel like discussing the dynamics of her personal relationship with Alucard. No offense to Rogue, but she wasn't even comfortable discussing those dynamics with said vampire.

"Yes. Well, I do actually trust Alucard, and he certainly won't expect me to give up leading Hellsing. Besides, he does meet the Council's main requirement for any partner of mine: nobility. He is a noble after all. Just not a British one."

Rogue considered this. "I can see that. So you're, what, four months along now?"

"Just barely into the fourth month now. I haven't made a public announcement yet, but the Queen and the Council of Twelve were informed once I had passed the first trimester." Integra smiled wryly. "Of course, the Council hasn't been given more information than they need to know."

"It seems odd to think of you as a mother," Rogue admitted. "So I take it you're on limited duty then?"

Integra nodded. "Seras is the main commander in the field these days. The few times I have been included in fieldwork, it has been at a field command post and well away from any danger."

"Has been hard adjusting to that? I mean, you've never seemed like the type of person to stand back and let other people run the show."

"It's been more difficult adjusting to the changes in the way people treat me," Integra admitted. "People seem to think that just because I'm pregnant I've turned into porcelain and lost any intelligence I had. At least my own people are only overprotective. Still, it can get to be a bit much."

"I can imagine."

Their conversation turned to what the X-Men had been up to over the past few years. They were actually doing rather well with their mission to get humans and mutants to live together in peace. It was one of those circumstances where they had to make speed slowly. Truthfully, Integra was more interested in learning what all the abilities were of the X-Men in the group staying with her, so she could figure out what to expect if they went out in the field. She wanted her people to know what to expect. While Integra had implemented some training on how to deal with mutants for her troops after her year spent with the X-Men, it was not a common occurrence. Integra could think of only one actual incident in the years since she had implemented the training. Working with the X-Men would be something new for her troops.

On the one hand, that wasn't a bad thing. Hellsing needed to be flexible when it came to fighting and battle plans, and things had been fairly routine lately. It was still a headache though. Hopefully, this whole matter would be resolved as soon as possible. Either that or the X-Men would get sick of sitting around and go home. Both of those options would work.

Rogue and Integra finished eating lunch, and Rogue took her leave of Integra. Integra spent most of the rest of the afternoon reviewing the latest battle with Seras and Captain Bernadette. The man had taken some getting used to, but Integra had to admit that hiring him had been a good choice. For all his rough edges, he was a good commander and very little fazed him, including being told that he would have to start working with the mutants currently occupying the guest wing. Bernadette had a few questions about the mutants' abilities and combat experience which Integra answered the best she could. However, the last time she had actually worked side by side with the X-Men, she had been a teenager, and she didn't have any recent practical knowledge that she could share.

Seras and Bernadette left her office, making plans for a joint training session with the Wild Geese and the X-Men. Integra wished them luck. It would be an interesting session. Of that Integra was sure. If it would actually do any good was another matter. The X-Men believed very strongly in not hurting others unless they absolutely had to. Unfortunately, with the kind of threats that Hellsing dealt with that was not possible. The X-Men needed to realize that before they got someone killed. Maybe she would sit in on the joint training session and see what developed.

Feeling the need for a snack, Integra headed for the kitchens. She had quickly learned that when it came to her pregnancy cravings, she was better off fixing her own food. The cooks seemed rather baffled by some of her requests and seldom gave her what she had actually asked for. On the few occasions when what she wanted actually wasn't in the Hellsing kitchens, someone was sent out to get it. As satisfying as it would it would be to send Alucard, Integra didn't trust him to behave if sent to a grocery store. It took her very little time to put together a snack that appealed to her: mint chocolate chip ice cream with caramel sauce drizzled over it and sprinkled with cinnamon.

Leaning against one of the kitchen counters, Integra dug into her ice cream. Walter entered the room and raised an eyebrow at her snack, but he was wise enough not to comment on it.

"Your guests seemed to have settled in, Sir Integra. I have upped the security in a few areas that it would be unwise for them to wander into, and I have pulled the latest information available on the X-Men both from the newspapers and from various intelligence agencies."

Integra nodded. "Thank you, Walter. Have there been any more incidents?"

The butler shook his head. "Miss Rogue seems to have the group well in hand."

That was one less worry. Now they just needed to find the vampire behind the recent attacks and get rid of it.


	5. Working Things Out

**Working Things Out**

Seras wondered if her perception of stupid had changed in the time she had been a member of Hellsing. Maybe she was so used to dealing with people who knew vampires and supernatural creatures existed and how to deal with them that she had forgotten what people who weren't used to that acted like. It was one of the explanations she could come up with to explain the X-Men's attitude. Oh, they weren't all bad, but a number of them just didn't get it. These people really were rather sheltered in their attitudes. Even when she had been a police officer, Seras didn't think she had been this naïve.

For one thing, as a group the X-Men did not seem to be able to grasp the necessity of killing ghouls and vampires. They kept harping on trying negotiation and understanding the ghouls point of view. Seras wasn't sure what it would take for these people to understand that ghouls didn't really have a point of view. In fact, ghouls didn't tend to have much of a mind or a personality. She was beginning to wonder if anything short of being tossed into a room full of ghouls would convince these people.

On the other hand, some of the X-Men had rather useful abilities. Seras could think of several ways to utilize things like teleportation and the ability to shoot laser beams. Of course, getting the X-Men to follow her orders and strategies was another story. Well, that wasn't quite true. Scott and Jean Summers were really the only ones who kept arguing with her. But then they argued with just about every order she or Pip gave. It seemed they were used to being in charge and had a little trouble giving up control. Seras was beginning to considered seeing if she could leave those two behind if she ended up actually taking the X-Men into the field with the Wild Geese.

Pip sighed behind her and rest his chin on the top of her head, his arms wrapping around her waist.

"Rather hopeless lot, aren't they, Mignonette? Well intentioned for sure," he sighed again, "but good intentions can get people killed just as surely as bad."

"They're not all bad," Seras felt compelled to argue. "Ms. Rogue and the others who can take orders might be of some use in a fight. They at least make a good distraction. It's jut the one's who can't let go of command that are the major problem."

She felt Pip shrug. "That doesn't make them any easier to deal with."

Seras worried her lower lip with her teeth. Maybe if they took the X-Men out into the field, they would get the idea of what was really going on. They might even be convinced to give up on this whole notion of 'helping out'. At least, it might make them more cooperative about obeying orders. There was a reason after all that she and Pip were in charge. Seras would run the idea by Sir Integra. If she approved, Seras might actually give it a try. It would probably be one of the routine housekeeping missions that she chose to take them on. No need to take the X-Men to a real battle unless she knew they could handle it. Seras would not risk her people's lives like that.

She and Pip continued to discuss the training session and its outcome. It had become a familiar routine for the two of them as they wound down from the adrenaline rush that often came with their work. It was also a good way to get another perspective on the way things had went. Seras couldn't catch everything, and neither could Pip, but together they got a pretty good picture. Working like this had done a lot to improve their field strategies and their working rapport, and it made writing up reports on the training a lot easier. Of course, it didn't keep Pip from making all sorts of innuendo, but Seras had learned to live with that. If she got really annoyed with him, she could always just break a few bones.

When they were done, Seras headed for Sir Integra's office to make her report. She knew that the head of Hellsing had watched some of the training session, but Sir Integra always required that Seras gave a report on her own impressions of how something like this had gone. It was easy enough to find Sir Integra. She was in her office, though not at her desk. Instead the woman was curled up on the couch with a thick sheaf of papers. Seras' master was also present his arm wrapped around Sir Integra's waist and resting his chin on her shoulder, and once again Seras was struck by how odd it seemed for the two of them to act like a couple. Sir Integra and Alucard did make a rather cute couple in her own opinion, but it still felt a little strange to be confronted with the fact.

Integra looked up from the papers she was reading. "Yes, Seras?"

"I was just going to give my report on the training session with the X-Men. If you're busy, I could come back later."

Integra shook her head and smiled. "I'm just going over some old incident reports. Go ahead and give your report."

Seras quickly launched into an explanation of what the training session was supposed to do followed by her thoughts on how things had actually gone.

"All things considered, it went fairly well. There are a couple of problems that will have to be smoothed out before we can take them into the field on an actual mission. I was considering perhaps having them observe a routine operation. I think if they get an understanding of what we are actually facing in the field, there will be fewer problems overall." Seras finished her report, waiting for a response.

"Do you think they could observe an operation without doing something stupid?" Sir Integra asked.

Seras sighed. "Truthfully, I'm not sure. But if they're going to do something stupid, it's better that they get out of their system in a setting where things are going to be pretty much containable. We're good enough at these routine missions that we haven't needed back up from Master at all for the past year. The X-Men will have trouble making a situation like that impossible to handle."

Sir Integra traded a look with the vampire who was wrapped around her. "All right."

Seras nodded and saw herself out of the office. It was going to be an interesting mission when it happened.


	6. A Series of Unfortunate Events

**A Series of Unfortunate Events**

It had been an interesting night. Rogue could say that. She wasn't quite sure what else she could say about the night. Wearily leaning against Remy as they made their way back to Hellsing's headquarters, Rogue once again wondered what they had gotten themselves into with this. Tonight the X-Men had been brought along to observe a routine mission with Hellsing's forces. It wasn't really anything they had been prepared for. Objectively they had all known that Integra ran a paramilitary organization, but they hadn't exactly seen it in action until now. It had been impressive to say the least.

Rogue would admit she hadn't really understood just what Hellsing had really entailed until tonight. Oh, it had been explained to her before, but she hadn't completely believed what she had been told. At the time, it had seemed a little unbelievable that Integra would command what amounted to a private army dedicated to dealing with supernatural threats. No wonder the young woman had been so frustrated when she was living at the X Mansion. Going from being in charge of all this to being treated like a fairly normal teenager would have been difficult. And she could see why Integra had been reluctant to include the X-Men in her operations.

That was probably why Seras had brought them along tonight. Rogue would admit to liking the young vampire. And she had been impressed with the way she worked in the field. It was easy to see that Seras and the Wild Geese were a well oil machine. It had also been easy to see that ghouls really weren't human any more. It was scary, sad, and more than a little depressing, but it was also true. The X-Men had never been good at dealing with the fact that they couldn't always save everyone, and the ghouls were clearly an example of something that couldn't be saved. They also drove home the fact that making a mistake in a fight could lead to a fate worse than death.

It was more than a little sobering. Seras wasn't at risk of course, but just about everyone she worked with was, and one little mistake could easily cost someone their life. None of the X-Men had asked what would happen if one of Hellsing's people got turned into a ghoul. Rogue doubted any of them really wanted to know. She could guess. Integra had known how to make hard decisions when she was only seventeen. Her ability to make those decisions most likely had not changed.

Integra lived in a much darker and more dangerous world than the X-Men were used to. If they were going to work with the people from Hellsing, they were going to need to play by their rules. Otherwise, the X-Men might get someone killed. That really wasn't a good way to make an impression. Though Rogue was pretty sure they had already made an impression on Hellsing. She wasn't sure if it was a good one. At least Integra hadn't simply thrown them in the dungeons. She was pretty sure that Hellsing had them somewhere.

Shaking her head to clear it, Rogue started making her way back to the room she was sharing with Kitty. She was exhausted, and she had barely done anything tonight. Catching sight of Kitty ahead of her, Rogue quickened her pace to catch up with her friend.

"Hey, Kit."

Kitty gave her a tried smile. "I just want a shower and to sleep for about two days. I thought Logan worked us hard. And then to sit through a two hour meeting rehashing what happened. Ugg."

She shrugged. "You have to admit that sometimes our briefings go just as long."

"Scott can be long winded," Kitty admitted. "Do you ever get the feeling that we've stumbled into something that's way over our heads?"

"At least once a day since we got here if not more often. I just don't think we can talk Scott and Jean into backing off."

Before Kitty could respond to that, Integra walked past them, eating ice cream directly out of the carton. At their looks, she shrugged.

"I was craving Mint Chocolate Cookie with caramel sauce on top and bacon bits."

Rogue sincerely hoped that if she ever got pregnant her cravings would not be that weird. But then maybe Integra actually enjoyed the combinations. Hormones could do some very strange things.

"How do you think it went tonight?" Integra asked as she took another bite.

Given that the woman had just sat through several hours of a discussion on just that, Rogue found it an odd question. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I can tell you how it went for Hellsing, but I wasn't really able to tell much about how it went for the X-Men." Integra offered a wry smile. "I don't really know any of you well enough to read your reactions. Seras and Pip thought it went fairly well even if they weren't entirely sure it did what it was supposed to."

"You wanted us to see just what was at stake."

Integra nodded at Rogue's quiet statement. "Yes. This isn't a world that you're used to fighting in. That's fine, but if you're going to fight in it, you need to know what you're risking. It is never easy, but I do lose people. It's one of the worst parts of my duty, but that's the way life goes. I have to make the best decisions I can to keep my people out of danger as much as possible, and if the X-Men are going to be a danger to them, I need to take measures to make sure that they are as safe as possible."

It was a little odd to be having a serious conversation with a woman who was eating something that was so clearly not how foods were supposed to be combined. Rogue opened her mouth to make a comment about how she thought that the X-Men would be able to keep from getting anyone killed now that they knew what they were actually facing when a streak made its way down the hall followed by an irate Seras Victoria. Kitty blinked.

"Was that Captain Bernadette?"

Sighing, Integra nodded. "Yes. It seems like he's taken his teasing too far once again. I keep thinking he's going to learn one of these days or that Seras will develop a thicker skin. It hasn't happened yet though."

"This is a regular occurrence then?" Rogue asked as the three of them watched the chase scene unfolding in front of them.

"At least once a month if not more often." Integra raised an eyebrow. "It can't be any odder than some of the scenes at the X Mansion."

But those events hadn't involved vampires. It still bothered Rogue a little that she had such trouble grasping the fact that vampires were really. She was a mutant herself after all. But there was just something about vampires that made it harder to wrap her head around them. Maybe it was the fact that vampires were supernatural while mutant were a scientific fact. Of course, a vampire could kill her just as easily as another mutant could. Perhaps even easier.

The chase had changed directions, and the two involved were coming back towards them. Rogue, Kitty, and Integra moved back against the wall to avoid getting trampled. However, Jean and Scott who were just coming out of their room hadn't seen the impending disaster that was barreling their way. Integra let out a sigh and took another bit of the ice cream. Rogue didn't blame her as within seconds the collision had occurred. Predictably, no one involved took that well. Integra surveyed the argument that was growing louder by the second then glanced down at her ice cream.

"I'm going to go find my pet vampire and get him to pick up some coffee flavored ice cream for me. If they haven't wound down in a few hours, ask Walter to deal with them."

Integra stalked down the hall and out of sight. Rogue shared a look with Kitty, and they quietly let themselves into their room. Rogue hoped that they could track down whoever was responsible for this situation quickly and get rid of them so the X-Men could go home. She wasn't sure she could survive several more weeks of this.


	7. Progress and Nausea

**Progress and Nausea**

Integra was getting rather desperate. She was actually seriously considering setting Alucard loose on some of the X-Men. She was pretty sure that her reactions were more to do with the pregnancy hormones than anything else, but that didn't really help her current mood much. If the vampire who had gotten a mutant involved in this mess was right in front of her now, it would be very dead very quickly. It also didn't help that Alucard had been hovering more than usual. Integra was well aware that her stress levels had increased since the X-Men had arrived in England.

She knew that stress wasn't exactly good for a normal pregnancy, not that hers was normal, but there really wasn't much she could do about it. Getting the X-Men out her hair would probably help though. The current state of affairs had Seras at odds with Jean and Scott which wasn't helpful. On the bright side though, most of the X-Men did follow the young vampire's orders and considered her a legitimate authority. Jean and Scott were still causing Integra headaches though as well as causing tension among the X-Men's ranks. Hopefully, they would be able to locate and eliminate the vampire that was either a mutant or turned a mutant into a ghoul within another week or so. Seras thought they were getting close. There had been more attacks of late, and her people had uncovered quite a few nests. The vampire behind this all seemed to be getting desperate.

That was all well and good. Desperate vampires made dumb mistakes. Dumb mistakes tended to make her job easier. And Integra would take any help she could get right now. A familiar pair of hands began kneading the muscles at the back of her neck. Integra leaned into Alucard's touch. He had gotten very good at appearing just when her back and neck started to bother her. It was his fault after all. She wouldn't have gotten pregnant if it weren't for him. And he didn't have to suffer through swelling feet, mood swings, odd cravings, weight gain, and backaches.

"You're very lucky that I can't easily kill you," Integra commented conversationally. "I wonder what the statistics are on deaths caused by pregnant women. Admittedly, they can't be very high or the human race wouldn't have survived, but really, there has to be a few every year."

Alucard chuckled. "Isn't it fortunate for you that can shoot me whenever you want then?"

Integra just sighed. There was a knock at the office door. "Come."

Seras and Rogue peered into the office. Integra raised an eyebrow. Given the wary looks on of the women's faces, her temper must have been more out of sorts than usual lately. Neither Seras nor Rogue tended to pussyfoot around her.

"I'm not going to attack you. What do you need?"

"Rogue had an idea about a way to perhaps speed our search up some."

That sounded promising. "And the idea is?"

Rogue smiled. "Do you remember when you were living with the X-Men the vampire that was actively turning mutants so he could use their powers when they were ghouls?"

Integra nodded. "Yes. Why?"

"Well, you managed to lure him out by acting as bait. I was thinking that it might not be bad to try something similar." Rogue smiled. "While it might be satisfying to use Jean and Scott, I was actually going to suggest Kitty, myself, and Remy. We can take some of the Wild Geese with us as back up."

It was an intriguing idea. Integra wasn't sure it would work, but it was worth a shot. It really couldn't hurt, and it would give at least some of the X-Men something productive to do. And they could always get lucky and have the ploy work.

"Go ahead. Keep me informed on how it's going."

Seras smiled and nodded. "Will do. With any luck, we'll be able to start the operation tonight."

The two women left the office, and Integra attempted to turn her attention back to her paperwork. Alucard's lips ghosted over her ear.

"You need to take a break, Master. There is nothing left here that can't wait, and you are cranky."

She frowned at him. She was a little hungry and her back hurt. She wasn't an invalid. "I'm fine, Alucard. Don't you have someone else to bother?"

The vampire chuckled. "But where's the fun in that? I'll have Walter send up tea and a snack."

Integra threw her paperweight at him. Alucard just laughed and phased out of the room. She turned her attention back to her work. It wasn't long at all before Walter appeared with a tea tray. Her butler didn't make any comments which Integra appreciated as she immediately helped herself to tea and scones. She had a definite sweet tooth these days, and the baby seemed to make her always hungry. Being pregnant really was a pain. Especially when you worked in a male dominated aristocracy. Her meeting with the Council of Twelve had been less than pleasant lately. Integra had no clue why middle aged men thought they knew more about being pregnant than she did, but they seemed convinced. Integra did not need their advice on the matter. If it had been their wives on the other hand, she might have listened. They were the ones who did all the hard work during a pregnancy.

As she applied herself to the scones and the paperwork, Integra spared a moment of thought for the little sting operation Seras and Rogue were putting together. She was actually hoping it would work. Nothing else had so far, and Integra was definitely ready to get this whole mess over with. And it would be interesting to see just what they came up with to attract the vampire in question.


	8. Bait and a Bigger Boat

**Bait and a Bigger Boat**

This was either a brilliant plan or moderately suicidal. Rogue wasn't sure which. Of course, that wasn't exactly new either. The X-Men weren't exactly known for always making the smartest decisions when charging into a situation. In fact, this really was exactly the sort of thing that the X-Men might get themselves into. Rogue sighed and adjusted her coat. She felt more than a little out of place in this get up. It had been years since she had tried to look like a high school student.

Kitty pulled it off better than she did. The other woman was currently flirting with a passing man, doing a great job of acting like her sixteen year old self. They had yet to attract the culprits they wanted yet, but they had managed to attract two pedophiles, an undercover cop, and a number of young men who hit on them. Not really much of a success, but they had only been at this about two days. It was probably a good thing that this wasn't Hellsing's sole strategy for catching the vampire in question.

Still, it was better than being cooped up in the mansion with others most of the night. Undercover work like this could be monotonous at times, but it was a lot better than refereeing between mutants with cabin fever. Rogue shook her head and refocused on her surroundings. It wouldn't be good to get caught by their quarry unawares. And they really didn't need this operation to go up in flames on them. Integra had trusted them to try this, and Rogue was determined not to let her down. Besides, it would be nice to do something that might redeem the X-Men's image in Hellsing's eyes.

She was about ready to call it a night when she caught sight of a man lurking across the street. Rogue frowned. He'd been there almost an hour now. Maybe this was who they were looking for. Rogue reached up and pulled off her hat. It was the signal she had arranged with Seras to alert the vampire to the fact that they might have a nibble. They hadn't wanted Seras to be too close by incase the vampire they were hunting picked up on her presence. The mutant couldn't see or sense any change in her surroundings, but she knew that Seras would have gone on the alert.

Rogue tried to keep an eye on the man as she continued to act like a teenager out past curfew. It was time to sweeten the bait a little. She signaled Kitty. The other woman made what would look like a mistake that any mutant just discovering their powers might make. This time it was actually deliberate, but any observer wouldn't know that. They had tipped their hand at being mutants. Now it was time for their prey to make the next move. All they could really do at this point was wait and hope that this gambit worked in their favor. Of course, since Rogue had a personal connection to gambits and their taking, she was more than a little optimistic for this evening.

It was nearly an hour later that something finally happened. By this point, Rogue's optimism had faded somewhat. In fact, she was nearly caught off guard when the man made his move. The guy approached Kitty rather than Rogue. That wasn't surprising.

"Excuse me, miss." He smiled at them both. "I couldn't help noticing you two out here so late. Is there a reason that you're not at home."

Kitty affected the tone of a sulking teenager. "Our parents aren't exactly coping with the fact that they have two mutants as kids very well. It's easy hanging out together than going home."

"You're both mutants then?"

Kitty nodded. "I can stick my hands through things like they aren't there, and my stepsister can zap people."

Rogue's lips twitched at Kitty's description of her powers. She then shrugged and answered the question that she knew was forming. "I can knock people out and temporarily access their memories with skin to skin contact."

That caused the man's eyes to widen. He seemed to be considering something. Rogue was pretty sure that her own powers wouldn't be that useful if she was turned into a ghoul since one needed a mind to process the information they could provide. Kitty's powers, on the other hand, could still be quite easily utilized, and given that it allowed one to both move through solid objects and short out electronics, Rogue could think of a number of things that it could be useful for.

"I see." His smile had not faded at all. "Well, if you ever need a place to crash or a friendly ear to complain to, you're both more than welcome to look me up. I have a number of friends who have unusual talents as well, and we never mind a few more face."

Rogue bit her lip to keep from making a sarcastic reply to that. She would just bet that he wouldn't mind adding them to his mindless minions. However, they did need him to think that he could lure them into doing just that. Kitty gushed a response, and the guy seemed to buy it. He gave the two of them an address and made his exit. Kitty met her eyes.

"Well, that went well, don't you think?"

"I hope so. So how long before we go check out the address?"

"Not tonight," Seras melted out of the shadows. "There's not enough time, and I wanted to do a little checking into that address first. I managed to get something of a read on him though. Going by what I could sense, he's a full vampire, not a fledgling. He's older than I am, but that's really not saying too much. I could be stronger than he is or he could be stronger than I am. At least we do know that he can't be stronger than Alucard."

Rogue was a little started by the vampire's utter certainty of that fact. It seemed to go against her caution in dealing with most threats. More than once Rogue had seen Seras wait or even pull back from a fight until she knew how her people stood against their enemies. Seras must have seen her skepticism for she smiled.

"It is highly unlikely that there exists a vampire stronger than Alucard," Seras spoke softly, "and if there were, I have no doubt that my master would have at least heard of them. No the question we face isn't if our enemies are stronger than Alucard. It's is there an easier way of accomplishing our goals than unleashing Alucard. There are very full situations that call for unleashing Alucard's full power."

Seras had a point. Rogue wouldn't claim to know much about Alucard, but she wouldn't place any bets on the vampire caring about things like "reasonable force".

"So what do we do now?"

Seras smiled, showing her teeth. "Now we go get a bigger boat."

At Rogue startled look, the draculina laughed. "What? I live with a bunch of mercenaries. I've probably seen every single action movie ever made. Come on, we've got more work to do."


	9. Releasing the Hounds

**Releasing the Hounds**

Integra raised an eyebrow as she glanced at the report in front of her. Seras had pulled together quite a lot of information very quickly.

"And you are sure that this vampire is the likely culprit?"

The police girl nodded. "Yes. He wasn't a fledgling, and he didn't strike me as someone who would follow another's orders."

"You wish to move on this immediately?"

Again Seras nodded. "The sooner the better. If we wait too long, there is always the chance that they could move. Also, unless we move quickly, Rogue and Kitty will need to keep up their charade, or our prey will become suspicious."

It was all good sound thinking. Seras' plan was also well laid out and had a number of back ups built in. Integra could find no reason to not to approve it. She was still a little bit leery about involving the X-Men in a real battle that would matter, but she saw no other choice. Integra would just have to trust that Seras could keep control of the situation. Integra herself would have liked to be on site, but she knew it wasn't advisable at this point. That was one of the hardest things about the pregnancy for her: giving up her control. Oh, she would most definitely keep an eye on things from here, but that wasn't the same as being there in the field.

"All right. Will you be ready to move tonight?"

Seras gave the affirmative. Integra dismissed her to get everything prepared. Glancing back down at the report in front of her, Integra sighed. One of the backup plans was Alucard. Of course, he was almost always one of Hellsing's backup plans. Still, unleashing him with the X-Men around struck Integra as a very bad idea. She still remembered their reactions to her own methods. They seemed to be doing all right with Seras and the Wild Geese, but truthfully, none of the battles they'd been involved in were really all that messy. Still, if Alucard was necessary, Integra wouldn't hesitate to send him in.

One of her hands dropped to her stomach, and Integra shook her head. She didn't really have time to worry about the past right now. She had enough to deal with the present and future without that. Time to stop woolgathering and get back to work. Integra reapplied herself to the paperwork in front of her. She must have dozed off at some point for Integra woke later on the couch and covered with Alucard's coat. She made a face; her exhaustion and tendency to take spontaneous naps was also thanks to her pregnancy. At glance at the clock in the office told Integra that she'd been asleep for at least two hours.

With a groan, Integra swung herself off the couch. She was hungry, and there was still work to do before this evening's mission. Alucard almost immediately walked through the way.

"Awake already, my Integra?" he smirked at her.

She resisted the urge to kick him. It wouldn't really do any good. Alucard ignored her glare and wrapped himself around her.

"Walter will have your dinner ready shortly, and Seras has everything arranged for tonight's operations. You have nothing else that needs to be done tonight, Master."

Integra let out a sigh and allowed herself to lean against him. "Thank you, Alucard."

He stroked her hair. The vampire had gotten much more physically affectionate with her since her pregnancy had become. Truthfully, it was probably more of Integra allowing him to touch her than anything else. If anyone questioned her on it, she blamed hormones. People had also quickly learned that her mood swings could result in violence towards them if they persisted in bothering her. It was one of the few useful parts of pregnancy. Of course, she really had never needed help inspiring fear in people.

Alucard steered her back towards the couch. Moments later Walter appeared with a dinner tray, and Integra quickly applied herself to her meal. She knew the source of her current restlessness. She often got this way before a big operation. Under normal circumstances, Integra had a number of outlets for the nerves that came before a mission. However, pregnancy had curtailed a number of them. She couldn't even smoke anymore. At least she could still shoot Alucard. That was one pleasure that pregnancy hadn't denied her.

She sighed when she finished dinner and debated whether she wanted dessert now or later. Or she could have both. Knowing her cravings lately, Integra wouldn't be surprised if within two hours she was wanting chocolate cake topped with caramel sauce and limes instead of the mocha ice cream, strawberries, and peanut butter that she wanted right now. The look on her cook's face when she ordered that would probably be quite amusing as well. Alucard was looking at her with an oddly concerned expression.

He had probably caught her shifting emotions, and often that meant a mood swing and sudden violence these days. Integra couldn't help it if her hormones made her a little more violent than normal. Nobody had died yet after all. Integra wasn't sure what it was about pregnancy that made males nervous. But she had noticed a marked difference in the way that the males in her organization treated her since she'd announced her pregnancy. Even Alucard. Of course, Alucard had also developed the habit of hovering and being overprotective as well. Both of which were things that made Integra less inclined to put up with his antics. She was only pregnant after all, and it was no longer the Middle Ages where she had fifty percent chance of dying in childbirth.

Still, it was in her vested interest to have as healthy a pregnancy as possible. Even if it was only to keep her vampire from going overboard. Integra sighed as she circled back to the fact that she wasn't going to be out in the field tonight. That was really what was bothering her. There wasn't anything she could do about it though, and this probably wouldn't be the last time she felt this way over the course of her pregnancy. And Integra was definitely not looking forward to what her nerves were going to be like once the mission actually started. She could reminder herself time and again that it wouldn't be the first time that she'd followed a battle from a command post, but it would be the first time where she didn't even have the option of going into the field herself if she thought it was needed.

However, Integra would admit a certain amount of relief when Seras came to her office before leaving for the mission. Finally something was going to happen.

Seras gave a brief readiness report then asked, "Are there any further orders, Sir Integra?"

Integra shook her head. "Just the standard, Police Girl. Search and destroy."

The draculina smiled, and many people would be struck by how much she looked like her master at that moment. Integra just smirked. At least someone was going to have an interesting night.


	10. A Hot Night in the Old Town

**A Hot Night in the Old Town**

Seras was rather torn between laughter and sympathy. On the one had, she could remember what it had been like when she had first been thrown into this world. However, you would think that people who dealt with lasers coming out of their eyes and the ability to teleport would have a slightly better grip on things. Seras herself was in a good mood. Their mission had gone very well so far. In fact, she was pretty sure than by the end of the hour they would be done with this particular mess.

As she dealt with another ghoul, Seras scanned the room for the vampire she knew was there. This was turning out to be hardly a challenge. At least for her and the Wild Geese. The X-Men didn't quite seem to have the hang of fighting vampires yet. Still, they were useful in some ways. For one thing, they made great bait. The vampire seemed more interested in directing his ghouls towards them than the Wild Geese, and this quite frankly was a mistake. The X-Men might not be very good at taking down the ghouls, but a distracted ghoul was an easy target.

At this rate, they wouldn't even need her master's help to deal with the problem. That was always a nice bonus for Seras. It was nice to know that her master was there for backup, but she also liked being able to deal with missions on her own. Besides, her master got rather testy any more if he was forced to leave Sir Integra's immediate vicinity, and no one really wanted to deal with him in a bad temper. Though it did always give them something of an edge against opponents.

Sensing the other vampire, Seras made straight for him. She wanted this over with. He saw the attack coming. The vampire might be older and more experienced than she was, but Seras had five years of working for Hellsing under her belt. It made for a rather unfair fight truth told. Once the vampire was dead, it was simply a matter of mopping up and leaving a clean up crew behind.

It was an easy decision to send the X-Men back with the first group of troops. They were all looking rather shell shocked and a little traumatized. Also, some of them were quite green around the gills. Pip was also going back with the first group, so she wasn't too worried about them getting home all right. At least, she wasn't until about an hour later when she got a phone call from a bar.

As it turned out, Pip had decided what the X-Men really needed to help them recover from tonight's battle was a good, stiff drink. So he had promptly taken them to a bar and proceeded to get the lot of them drunk. As well as getting himself rather drunk to add to it. And of course he had given the bartender her number to call in case someone needed to come pick them up. Seras was not amused. Of course, it was better than if he had given the bartender Hellsing's direct number.

On the up side, it did seem that alcohol had done wonders for some of the X-Men, even if Seras did not want to know the details of the song three of them were singing. Something about burning the White House down. Drunk X-Men were slightly harder to herd than the drunk Wild Geese, but Seras managed to get everyone back into the cars without too much in the way of property damage. She was not looking forward to explaining this to Sir Integra. Maybe they could just put the X-Men to bed, and let them explain to Sir Integra about the getting drunk part tomorrow. With any luck, Sir Integra would have fallen asleep waiting for their return, and Seras could make all her reports in the morning, or rather, the next evening.

However, that was not to be. They arrived at the Hellsing mansion, and moments later Seras found herself summoned to Sir Integra's office. She left Walter and the more sober of the Wild Geese to getting everyone to bed. With a sigh, Seras headed for Sir Integra's office. This was sure to be a fun report to make.


	11. Fond Farewells

**Fond Farewells**

Integra was more than happy to have the X-Men finally ready to leave. She wasn't sure if the hangovers many of them had suffered after the successful mission had hurried their departure, but she wasn't going to complain about it either. Integra had debriefed Rogue and the other few coherent X-Men. Between that and Seras and Bernadette's reports, Integra was pretty clear on what had happened that night. The X-Men were packed up and ready to leave two days later.

She saw them off. The goodbyes were a little stilted for the most part, though both Rogue and Kitty both wished Integra good luck at their parting and pressed a wrapped gift into her hands. It was with a sigh of relief that Integra watched the cars drive down the road. She knew she wasn't going to be completely comfortable until she knew they were out of England all together, but this was a good start.

Once the cars were out of sight, Integra head back inside and up to her office. She set the gift from Kitty and Rogue down on her desk and opened the card that was with it. It read:

_Dear Integra,_

_We know you weren't exactly thrilled to see us again, but it was nice to catch up. We wanted to get you something for the baby and just couldn't resist this. Thanks for putting up with us._

_Kitty & Rogue_

More hesitant than curious, Integra carefully opened the box. Then she started to laugh. The little onesie was a dark red and carried a pattern of black bats. Even Integra could see the humor in the choice. Under the outfit, she also found a little stuffed bat toy and a bib that carried the message: Careful – I Bite. Alucard peered over her shoulder and reach for the little toy.

"Interesting choice. Of course, she'll be a Hellsing, so the warning really unnecessary. Anyone should know she'll be dangerous."

Integra just shook her head. Motherhood wasn't exactly something she felt ready for, but then again, it really couldn't be much more difficult than anything else she'd faced for far. After all, Integra was a Hellsing.


End file.
